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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23927497">The Wolf and the Crane</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLineGoon/pseuds/BlueLineGoon'>BlueLineGoon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Ball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coffee, Coffee Shops, Cooking, Fluff, Food, Food Porn, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hot Tub, M/M, Rare Pairings, Slow Burn, Sparring, Training, Training Camp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:36:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23927497</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLineGoon/pseuds/BlueLineGoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel and continuation to my short piece the Shadow of the Crane. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23342605/chapters/55919074)</p><p>Yamcha stays with Tien and Chaiotzu to help Tien begin building his martial arts school. At the same time he begins to reconsider his own priorities in life and his feelings for his longtime friend and rival. Rated Teen and Up for later chapters. Rating may be adjusted later for smut.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tenshinhan/Yamcha (Dragon Ball)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tien couldn’t help but notice that Yamcha seemed to grow more and more distant every day. He was still his usual cheerful, often cocky self, but Tien noted how he quieted, and seemed prone to staring off at the mountains. At night he would stay awake and, through his meditations, Tien watched as Yamcha stared absentmindedly into the campfire, a blank and bleak expression on his face. As Sunday dawned, Tien finally broke the silence as they finished their morning run up the winding mountain trails.</p><p>            The valley spilled out beneath them, a warm sunrise steaming the sweat from their bodies, and the quiet sounds of birds filling the subalpine dale. Far below, they could see the contractors steadily working to build Tien’s school. At his request, and Bulma’s prescient deduction, they had arrived without heavy equipment or machinery, and did the majority of the work with hand tools. Chiaotzu was with them, hauling timber beams and flagstones with his telekinesis. The low-tech building methods would take longer, but Tien was content to wake. Something about the idea of earthmovers and backhoes in the serene valley didn’t sit right with him.</p><p>            “All right, spit it out.” Tien said to Yamcha, who started.</p><p>            “Huh?” Yamcha said, blinking.</p><p>            “You’ve been moping around camp for the last three days.” Tien said.</p><p>            He took a drink of water from the canteen, and passed it to Yamcha before continuing.</p><p>            “You said you’d go back to the city tomorrow and all weekend you’ve been getting quieter and more distant. Every time I ask you about your life you change the subject. What’s going on, Yamcha?”</p><p>            Yamcha was silent a long time, sipping water from Tien’s canteen and staring out over the mountain valley. After what seemed like ages, he heaved a long sigh and turned to face Tien.</p><p>            “I’ve been…well,” Yamcha began, struggling, “I don’t know how to ask…”</p><p>            “Yamcha,” Tien said, accepting the canteen and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I don’t know what’s going on, but if there is anything I can do, you just need to…”</p><p>            “Can I stay here for a while?” Yamcha interjected.</p><p>            “What?” Tien was taken aback, “what about the team? Don’t you have games coming up? And that girl you’re seeing?”</p><p>            Yamcha smiled and laughed sadly.</p><p>            “It’s…a long story.” Yamcha said, rising, “and I’ll need a drink if I want to tell it.”</p><p>            Tien opened his mouth to remind his best friend that he didn’t drink, but decided against it.</p><p>            “I know a good place to sit and talk.” Tien said instead.</p><p>            “Great.” Yamcha replied, “I’ve got a bottle of the good stuff in my bag.”</p><p>            As Yamcha promised, it was a long story. They retrieved the bottle from Yamcha’s bags and Tien checked with Chiaotzu to ensure everything was going well. Satisfied, the two friends flew back to Tien’s favourite meditation spot, a flat expanse of sunlit rock shaded by the branches of a gnarled old spruce tree, high up the mountainside. It afforded a beautiful view of the valley, and Yamcha looked out in approval.</p><p>            “You must spend a lot of time up here.” Yamcha said, admiring the view.</p><p>            “Every day.” Tien agreed.</p><p>            The two sat and the silence seemed to stretch between them. Tien shifted uncomfortably, thinking.</p><p>            <em>He’s never had any trouble talking to me before</em>, Tien thought, <em>what’s eating him up so bad that he can’t even tell <strong>me</strong>?</em></p><p>Tien opened his mouth to ask, but Yamcha spoke first.</p><p>            “So, I was fired.” Yamcha said flatly, “that’s the beginning, I guess.”</p><p>            “What? Why?” Tien asked, “I thought you were their best pitcher?”</p><p>            “Well, it wasn’t really the team’s decision.”</p><p>            Yamcha opened the bottle and took a drink. He still couldn’t look Tien in the eye.</p><p>            “There was a random drug screening.” Yamcha said at last. “I failed.”</p><p>            Tien said nothing, waiting for him to continue.</p><p>            “The league has a pretty strict anti-doping policy and, well, that wasn’t my first warning. So they canned me.”</p><p>            “Yamcha I’m so sorry.”</p><p>            “Meh.” Yamcha said with a shrug, “technically they let me retire, so that means severance pay and my full pension.”</p><p>            Yamcha took another drink and offered the bottle to Tien. Tien hesitated, then accepted it and drank. He coughed and spluttered. Whatever was in the bottle tasted like the smell of nail-polish remover. Yamcha laughed softly.</p><p>            “Yeah, that’s fair.”</p><p>            “Yamcha.” Tien said, “why?”</p><p>            “Well mainly ‘cuz it’s cheap.” Yamcha replied.</p><p>            “That’s not what I meant.”</p><p>            Yamcha heaved a long sigh.</p><p>            “I dunno, man.” He said at last. “Even though I gave up fighting, I never really lost that drive. I still <strong>had</strong> to be the best.”</p><p>            “I can understand that.” Tien said.</p><p>            “I’d been on the stuff for years.” Yamcha said, “didn’t know what I was doing at first but I learned a lot from some guys at my gym.” Another drink, “how do you think I was able to keep up with the rest of you guys as long as I did? Sure as hell wasn’t my work-ethic.”</p><p>            He turned now, and looked Tien in the eyes.</p><p>            “I never had the discipline that you did.” Yamcha said, sadly.</p><p>            Tien’s mind raced.</p><p>            <em>What should I say to him? Is he waiting for me to say something? What does he want to hear?</em></p><p>            “Yamcha, I…” Tien began.</p><p>            Yamcha silenced him with a gesture.</p><p>            “I don’t need you to say anything.” He said, smiling now, “honestly it feels good just to say it out loud.”</p><p>            Tien reached out for the bottle and Yamcha passed it over with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. Better prepared this time, Tien managed a small swallow of the pungent liquor and, though his eyes began to water, he got it down without coughing. It burned like he just drank gasoline, and he told Yamcha as much. Yamcha laughed, genuinely, and sloshed the bottle.</p><p>            “This is Oolong’s Private Reserve. Distilled from basically whatever he can find lying around. Tastes like shit but it gets the job done.”</p><p>            He sniffed the bottle, doing his best impression of a Parisian sommelier.</p><p>            “Ahh, yes, indeed, indeed.” Yamcha said, “this vintage has notes of…” a deep sniff “gym socks and loneliness.”</p><p>            Tien burst out laughing and Yamcha joined him. It felt good.</p><p>            “Broke up with my girlfriend, too.” Yamcha said, as their laughter subsided.</p><p>            He waved off Tien’s sympathy before it was halfway out of his mouth.</p><p>            “It’s fine, honestly man.” Yamcha said, “we had grown apart. We had a long talk about what we wanted and decided to break it off. I’m not carrying a torch for Bulma or any bullshit like that. Always thought I’d settle down, get married, maybe have kids…”</p><p>            A far-off look filled Yamcha’s eyes. He took another drink before passing the bottle to Tien and continuing.</p><p>            “But she didn’t want that. And living in the city, the night life, the parties, it was getting old.”</p><p>            Tien shot him a look.</p><p>            “I know, I know,” Yamcha said, raising his hands defensively, “Mr. Party Animal, guilty as charged.”</p><p>            “So what changed?” Tien asked, sipping Oolong’s toxic brew.</p><p>            “I dunno. Me, maybe?” Yamcha ventured, “Certainly wasn’t her.”</p><p>            Tien said nothing, only watched the sun climb higher in the sky. He wasn’t sure if the rocky mountainside was wavering from the sun’s heat or the wood alcohol coursing through his veins. He shook his head and took another drink.</p><p>            “Hey, take it easy there.” Yamcha warned, “this is strong stuff, and your tea-and-bean juice lifestyle hasn’t exactly given you an armour-plated liver.”</p><p>            “’S’fine.” Tien slurred, “I’m not as boring as everyone thinks I am.”</p><p>            He took another drink and Yamcha took the bottle back, shooting him a look.</p><p>            “If you say so, big guy.” Yamcha said, dubiously. “But you never answered my question.”</p><p>            “Huh?” Tien panicked, wracking his brain.</p><p>            <em>When did he ask me a question? I’m not that drunk, I’d certainly remember…</em></p><p>            “Can I stay here for a while?” Yamcha asked.</p><p>            Tien was about to make an off-handed reply, but something in Yamcha’s gaze sobered him. There was a sadness there, and a hungry loneliness that almost hurt him.</p><p>            <em>Ugh</em>, Tien thought, <em>I need to clear my head</em>.</p><p>Tien focused, and channeled his ki, forcing the hot energy through his muscles and bones. His metabolism spiked and he felt the alcohol burning through him. In a few seconds he was sweaty, and his mouth dry. He groaned, rubbing at his head.</p><p>            “Instant hangover.” Yamcha said, raising a toast with the bottle, “cool trick bro.”</p><p>            “Yamcha.” Tien said softly.</p><p>            Yamch turned, the bottle halfway to his mouth. Though he was doing a better job of hiding it, a flush of red had crept up Yamcha’s neck and into his cheeks. His eyes were misty and he struggled to focus on Tien’s face.</p><p>            “Hm?” Yamcha said.</p><p>            “You can stay as long as you want.” Tien said, smiling.</p><p>            “Thanks man.” Yamcha said. He went to take another drink, thought better of it, and corked the bottle. “Maybe let’s save the day-drinking for another time.”</p><p>            “Agreed.” Tien said.</p><p>            The bright sun was starting to his make his head pound, and his body, sticky with sweat, smelled acrid and oily. He took a long pull from his canteen and stood up.</p><p>            “C’mon.” Tien said, extending a hand to Yamcha. “There’s another reason I like this spot.”</p><p>            He hauled Yamcha to his feet and they left their canteen and the half-empty bottle of booze in the shade of the spruce. Yamcha followed Tien around a large rock, through a narrow cleft in the rocky slope that he had to turn sideways to squeeze through. As they advanced, the rocks overhead closed to form a ceiling, and the narrow defile became a claustrophobic tunnel. Yamcha felt his breath tighten and he moved closer to Tien. The passage grew dark and his heartbeat quickened to match his breathing.</p><p>            <em>Goddam it.</em> Yamcha thought, <em>I fucking hate caves.</em></p><p>            He could taste iron, and felt the first hot waves of panic starting to wash over him. His thoughts raced, and his ki began to flow, hot and chaotic. Yamcha reached out with his senses, feeling ahead for Tien. For a moment he couldn’t find him and his brain flared with white-hot panic. His ki raged, tumultuous and hazy around him and in his half-drunken state he started to hyperventilate, scrambling forward. In a moment, he collided with Tien, who had stopped. His hand, groping blindly, latched onto Tien’s upper arm and he clung there.</p><p>            “Yamcha?” Tien inquired quietly, “it’s okay, we’re almost there.”</p><p>            Yamcha didn’t relinquish his grip on Tien’s bicep as they shuffled forward, hints of daylight coming from up ahead. Tien’s ki flowed over his own, calming him. It was like a soft breeze, rushing over Yamcha’s skin. His breathing slowed and his own ki calmed, breaking against Tien’s serene energy in ever more gentle waves.</p><p>            They emerged into daylight and Yamcha heaved a long sigh. They were in a grotto. A wide cave made of smooth sandstone. In the center, lit by a beam of daylight from a small fissure high above them, lay a series of small pools. They sparkled in the shaft of sunlight, the glistening pools painted a myriad of colours by mineral deposits. The steam rising from the water’s surface danced in the light, filled with rainbows. Yamcha gaped.</p><p>            “Wow.” He said simply.</p><p>            Tien smiled.</p><p>            “Careful, they’re hot.” Tien said.</p><p>            Tien stripped off his shirt and Yamcha was momentarily struck, gaping. Tien’s broad back glistened with sweat in the cave, and showed even more scars than Yamcha remembered. His eyes drifted to Tien’s left forearm, where a pale, jagged ring just above the wrist served as reminder of the loss suffered during his fight with Nappa.</p><p>            <em>I guess even Shenron can’t fix everything.</em> Yamcha thought, transfixed by the tapestry of old wounds that his friend’s body had become.</p><p>            Tien kicked off his boots and stripped completely. He stretched, luxuriating in the steam and sunbeam. He watched Tien’s deltoids splinter into fibers as he rolled his shoulders, working the stiffness from the dense muscles. Yamcha stared at the thick muscles of his legs shift beneath the skin as he climbed into the pool and floated in the center.</p><p>            <em>Jesus…</em> Yamcha blinked, realizing he was staring. <em>Tien’s been busy. He looks more jacked than ever. Jacked? Stacked? Packed?</em></p><p>Shaking his head clear, Yamcha pulled at his gym shirt and joined Tien.</p><p>            “You weren’t kidding, you could boil an egg in here!” Yamcha said.</p><p>            The water was scalding, and he could feel it immediately set to work on his muscles, sore and stiff from a week of following Tien’s harsh training regimen. He sighed deeply and sank up to his ears. The water steamed and smelt of minerals, lightly sulphurous.</p><p>Across from him, Tien, his face serene, all three eyes shut. Yamcha looked away, feeling awkward.</p><p>            “You did well.” Tien said suddenly, breaking the silence between them.</p><p>            “Huh?” Yamcha said stupidly.</p><p>            “In training today.” Tien continued, “your conditioning has suffered, and your ki is weaker than I remember. But you’ve maintained your fighting instincts. Your techniqueyou’re your reflexes should come back quickly, if you decide to keep at it.”</p><p>            Yamcha tried to reply, but couldn’t find the words. Instead, he smiled and let himself float in the scorching pool.</p><p>            <em>Yeah.</em> Yamcha thought, <em>this is exactly what I need.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2</p><p> </p><p>            The next morning Yamcha awoke to find Tien already up and about, practicing a kata in the suns first rays. He watched him for a minute or two, admiring the focused frown on his friends face as he ran through the graceful forms and movements. Through the opening in the tent flap, Tien was framed in front of the mountain backdrop. Yamcha couldn’t help but think the image, of Tien mid-kata, standing atop a stump, with the snow-capped peaks behind him, would make excellent promotional material. Quietly, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.</p><p>            <em>Not bad.</em> He thought, <em>he’ll hate it. I’ll send it to Puar, see if she can make up some promo posters. Maybe flyers? Or even a banner! Then I’ll set up an info booth, write up some brochures and…</em></p><p>            “G’morning Yamcha!” Chiaotzu’s bright voice called.</p><p>            The smiling face followed the voice through the tent flap.</p><p>            “Morning Chiaotzu.” Yamcha said, still slightly bleary, “how’d you know I was up?”</p><p>            “I’m very sensitive to ki.” Chiaotzu replied, handing Yamcha a cup of coffee, “Master Shen told me it was a part of my psychic abilities.”</p><p>            “Thanks for the coffee.” Yamcha said.</p><p>            He clambered out of the tent to sit at one of the folding camp chairs he had bought. From below, down the valley, the sounds of saws and hammers began to fill the air. When the contractors had begun work, they had moved their simple camp higher into the wooded valley to escape the noise. The few camping capsules Yamcha had brought with him added some comforts of home to Tien and Chiaotzu’s rustic choice of abode.</p><p>            Tien finished his drills and joined them. Chiaotzu was stirring a pot hanging over the fire with his telekinesis, while he made tea and coffee on the small propane burner Yamcha had brought. They sipped their beverages in silence, listening to the birds.</p><p>            “What’s for breakfast?” Yamcha asked</p><p>            “It’s Master Tien’s favourite!” Chiaotzu said gleefully.</p><p>            “Rice congee with egg and greens.” Tien said, “made with fresh milk.”</p><p>            “It’s full of vitamins and protein!” Chiaotzu offered.</p><p>            Yamcha accepted a bowl and stared into the creamy depths. It had only been a week, but the thought of fried bacon, or a juicy steak was already starting to gnaw at him. Still, the food was hot, and helped him fight off the morning chill. And despite himself, he enjoyed it.</p><p>            “Yaknow, this is a lot better than what I used to eat.” Yamcha said, digging in.</p><p>            Tien raised an incredulous eyebrow.</p><p>            “No, seriously.” Yamcha insisted, “I’d grab a burger on my way to practice, have a protein shake in the afternoon after weight training, and then order takeout on my way home.”</p><p>            Tien smiled and shook his head.</p><p>            “I know, I know.” Yamcha said, chuckling.</p><p>            “You know, it’s almost the end of the month,” Tien said, “I need to go down to the city and buy more groceries. I also wanted to get some quotes on plumbing this place.”</p><p>            Tien pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers.</p><p>            “Almost makes me wish I could just set up school here.” Tien gestured at the forest clearing, “lifting stones and drilling katas in glacier streams was good enough for me.”</p><p>            Yamcha and Chiaotzu laughed.</p><p>            “I’ll come with you.” Yamcha offered, “I’ve been eating you two out of house and home all week, the least I can do is chip in for groceries.”</p><p>            Tien opened his mouth to protest, but Yamcha silenced him.</p><p>            “Besides,” he continued, turning to Chiaotzu, “did you know you bought decaf?”</p><p>            Chiaotzu looked puzzled and Tien smiled.</p><p>            “All right then.” Tien said, “I’ll get my things and we can leave.”</p><p>            “Sounds good.” Yamcha said.</p><p>            He ducked into the tent and changed into his motorcycle jacket and pants. He retrieved the capsule for his hovercycle and headed out to wait. When he ducked out of the tent, his eyes bulged. Tien had an enormous stack of money and was carefully counting out grocery money into a small cloth belt pouch.</p><p>            “Jesus fuck, dude!” Yamcha exclaimed.</p><p>            Tien started, looking up at him.</p><p>            “A gift from Mr. Satan.” Tien said, his face twisting, “he called it ‘seed money’ to help set up my school. Told me I could pay him back whenever.”</p><p>            Yamcha had been mentally tallying the generous ‘gift,’ and lsot track somewhere between generous and gratuitous.</p><p>            “Don’t you have a bank account?” Yamch asked. Tien was silent.</p><p>            “We don’t spend a lot of time in the city.” Chiaotzu explained, “Master Tien likes to keep things simple.”</p><p>            “All right.” Yamcha said, opening the memo app on his phone, “we’ve got more to do today than I thought.”</p><p>            He made some quick notes and snapped his phone shut. He placed it in his pocket and retrieved the hovercycle capsule. He clicked the released and tossed it into a clear space. In a puff of smoke, his bike appeared. Tien blanched.</p><p>            “Oh come on.” Yamcha chided, “you can fly, but this is too much?”</p><p>            “I don’t know how to drive.” Tien admitted.</p><p>            “Well then it’s a good thing I do.” Yamcha fired back, grinning, “hop on, <strong><em>Master</em></strong> Tien.”</p><p>           </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tien and Yamcha each pushed a cart piled high with provisions. Bags of rice and oats, fresh bunches of carrots, bags of potatoes, onions, and dried beans, sacks of oranges, and heaps of fresh greens. Yamcha’s had the addition of several kilos of ground beef, three frozen chickens, and six dozen eggs. Tien’s single concession to self-indulgence was a huge tin of hot cocoa powder, tucked protectively under one arm.</p><p>            After much tactical positioning and bickering, Yamcha paid for the mountain of groceries, and they stepped to one corner of the parking lot to pack it into refrigerated capsules for transport and storage. Tucked safely away, Yamcha once more climbed onto the hovercycle and motioned for Tien to join him.</p><p>            “Just a couple more stops.” Yamcha said, roaring out of the parking lot and heading downtown.</p><p>            “We’ve got an appointment with my accountant.” Yamcha declared.</p><p>            “An accountant?” Tien replied.</p><p>            “With the pile of cash you’re sitting on, it doesn’t make sense to just stash it in a capsule somewhere.” Yamcha said, “besides, it makes me nervous.”</p><p>            Yamcha would be the first to admit that he didn’t know much about the ins and outs of finance. But one of the most valuable lessons he’d learned form Bulma was to get a good accountant. By the end of the afternoon, they left the bank in a daze, with Tien carrying a thick folder of documentation regarding his new mutual fund and investment portfolio.</p><p>            “That was…a lot.” Tien said, blinking.</p><p>            “Yeah that’s banking for ya.” Yamcha conceded.</p><p>He was close to falling asleep himself; the dusty accounting office had been kept mysteriously at optimal napping temperature. Despite his determination to help out Tien, he has found his attention slipping during the meeting. He shook his head to clear it.</p><p>“I need a coffee.” Yamcha announced, heading for the hovercycle.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say no to that.” Tien agreed, climbing onto the bike behind Yamcha.</p><p>Yamcha had had the second seat installed for Bulma, years ago. They had grown out of that particular arrangement, but the bike stayed the same. Tien settled in, taking a white-knuckle grip on the handholds and giving Yamcha a thumbs-up. With a grin, Yamcha flicked the ignition and the bike rumbled to life. Tien grimaced and gripped the handles tighter.</p><p>“Flying is easier.” Tien said, “and quieter.”</p><p>“Sure,” Yamcha said, revving the engine, “but this is more fun.”</p><p> </p><p>By the time they arrived at the coffee shop, Tien had begun to relax ever so slightly. While he remained terrified at the idea of dying in a fireball on the side of a busy street, he conceded that Yamcha knew what he was doing.</p><p>The coffee shop was quiet, being a weekday afternoon. Tien beat Yamcha to the counter and paid for coffee, sending Yamcha to get a table by the window. He ordered a low-fat latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup for Yamcha, and a black coffee for himself. Drinks in hand, he joined Yamcha.</p><p>“So...” Yamcha began, and took a cup of coffee. He raised an eyebrow, “lucky guess.”</p><p>Tien said nothing, only chuckled softly and sipped his coffee. Yamcha smiled and began again.</p><p>“So you’ve got a phone, and a bank account now. how’s it feel to be a member of society?” Yamcha asked.</p><p>“Honestly…weird.” Tien replied, swirling his cup and staring into it, “got used to things just being me and Chiaotzu. Life’s easier up there, in the mountains. Just training, time to think.”</p><p>Yamcha nodded along with him,</p><p><em>He’s not wrong. </em>Yamcha thought, <em>there’s something peaceful about the simple life.</em></p><p>The barista appeared and deposited a small plate on the table, bearing a pair of scones and two pats of butter. He thanked her, smiling, and returned his attention to Tien, who was staring at him, grinning.</p><p>“You <strong>have</strong> changed, Yamcha.” Tien said</p><p>“Huh?” Yamcha replied, “how do you mean?”</p><p>“Five years ago you would have tried to get her number.”</p><p>Yamcha blinked, surprised.</p><p><em>Was she cute? Did I not notice?</em> He thought to himself.</p><p>“Yeah, well, five years ago, you would have been too busy training to take five minutes to sit down and have a cup of coffee with a friend.”</p><p>Tien raised his hands defensively.</p><p>“So, we’ve both changed.” Tien admitted. “Grown, even.”</p><p>“Well, it’s been a long five years.” Yamcha said.</p><p>Unbidden, painful memories clawed their way back into his mind. He could still feel the cold, unyielding hand of Dr. Gero clenched around his throat, feel the pain blossoming in his chest as…</p><p>“Yamcha.” Tien’s voice shook him from his daze. “You feeling okay?”</p><p>Yamcha rubbed at his chest and was reminded of his own thoughts from earlier.</p><p>“Yeah. I guess even Shenron can’t heal everything.”</p><p>Tien fixed him with a quizzical look, but didn’t press him further,</p><p>“Hey, did you order these scones?” Yamcha asked.</p><p>“No, I thought you did,” Tien replied.</p><p>“Huh.” Yamcha said, rising, “I’ll got see if there’s been a mistake.”</p><p>Yamcha approached the counter and got the barista’s attention.</p><p>“Everything going okay?” she asked, grinning broadly.</p><p>“Uh, yeah?” Yamcha replied, “I wanted to know if you brought us those scones by mistake. We didn’t order any food.”</p><p>“Oh, no,” She replied, “those are on the house. You two looked nervous about your first date so I wanted to help things go well. You guys are <strong>super</strong> cute as a couple, by the way.”</p><p>“Hey, wait, we’re not…” Yamcha sputtered, blushing.</p><p>But the barista had already flounced away to help another customer, and Yamcha was left standing, puzzled, by the counter. H returned to the table and grabbed a scone, smearing it with butter and taking an enormous bite, scowling.</p><p>Tien gave him a quizzical look, waiting for an explanation.</p><p>“Free scones.” He said through a mouthful of pastry.</p><p>Tien gave a half shrug. He carefully took the other and sliced it in half, spreading butter neatly across the surface. He took a small bite and chewed quietly. Satisfied, he nodded at Yamcha.</p><p>“It’s good.” Tien said.</p><p><em>Yeah</em>, Yamcha thought, looking across the table at him, <em>it is, isn’t it?</em></p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yamcha awoke and blinked. He glanced at his phone and saw it was still early. He shut off his alarm and lay down on his folding camp cot, savouring the silence. Even though a capsule house would have fit nicely into the clearing where Tien, chiaotzu, and now himself, had made camp, Tien preferred sleeping under the stars.</p><p><em>Sorry Tien, </em>he thought, <em>this is about as rustic as I’ll go.</em></p><p>He lay awake, savouring the silence. Though he’d been here over a week now, he was still used to waking up to the low sounds of the city; cargo trucks rolling by, horns beeping, people talking. Here, he was woken by the gentle rush of the nearby mountain stream, the whispering of wind over the tent folds, and the cheerful calls of birds.</p><p>            Dawn was breaking and he decided, since he was wake, that he may as well make breakfast for everyone. He pulled on a loose pair of track pants and a pale blue stringer that read: ‘Clyde’s Gym.’ He ducked out of the tent and took a deep breath. He crossed to their camp kitchen, where a compact solar generator kept a mini-fridge, camp stove and coffee maker idling happily. He set a pot of coffee to brew and dug through their storage bins, looking for breakfast.</p><p>            He settled on a sweet breakfast. Though he preferred savoury in the morning, he knew Tien and Chiaotzu enjoyed something sweet to start the day. He scooped rice into the rice cooker, and diced some bamboo shoots and plantain. These, he loaded into a steamer with a few squares of bean curd tofu. When the rice was almost done, he threw in a handful of smoked, dried plums to rehydrate, followed by walnuts, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.</p><p>            When the rice finished, he scooped some of the sweet, spiced rice into three bowls. He topped each with a portion of the steamed bamboo shoots and plantain, and a slice of tofu. Atop it all, he added a dollop of low-fat cottage cheese and some of the fresh wild berries that Chiaotzu had picked the other day.</p><p>            <em>Not bad, </em>Yamcha thought, grinning.</p><p>            By this time, Tien was stirring, and Yamcha poured two cups of coffee, and mixed a hot cocoa for Chiaotzu. He added milk and sugar to his own, and left Tien’s black.</p><p>            “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” Yamcha quipped.</p><p>            Tien cracked an eye and raised a brow.</p><p>            “Yamcha?” Tien replied, “you’re up early.”</p><p>            “And he made breakfast!” Chiaotzu exclaimed, flying from his sleeping bag to hover over the table, sniffing loudly.</p><p>            “How’s it look, Chiaotzu?” Yamcha asked.</p><p>            “Smells amazing!” Chiaotzu replied, settling down to a seat and pulling his bowl and cocoa toward him.</p><p>            “Thanks, Yamcha.” Tien said, rising from his bedroll.</p><p>            “Hey, it’s nothing.” Yamcha waved a hand dismissively, “I was up anyway.”</p><p>            The three of them sat down and tucked into breakfast, which was met with all round approval. Yamcha sipped his coffee and laughed softly.</p><p>            Tien shot him an inquisitive look.</p><p>            “I was just thinking,” Yamcha began, “normally on a Monday morning I’d be in the gym, trying to sweat out a hangover with nothing but a triple espresso and a protein shake in me, and the team’s strength coach chewing me a new asshole.”</p><p>            “Sounds like a great way to start the week.” Tien drawled.</p><p>            “You’re not kidding,” Yamcha laughed, “he really put me through the ringer. He was a good coach though.”</p><p>            “Well don’t worry about getting out of practice.” Tien said mischeviously, “I’ve got to meet with the builders today to talk about designs. So I asked Chiaotzu to handle your training this morning.”</p><p>            For some reason, Yamcha felt something tug at his heart to see Tien rise abrudptly fomr the table and begin bustling his breakfast dishes into the washbasin. He picked up a scouring pad and began to scrub at them fastidiously. Yamcha watched him, quickly cleaning the bowl and mug and setting them aside. He turned and looked at Yamcha.</p><p>            “Sorry,” he said awkwardly, avoiding Yamcha’s eyes.</p><p>            “Oh, hey no worries.” Yamcha said quickly.</p><p>            “I should be done by early afternoon. If you’re up for it, we could get in some sparring practice before dinner.”</p><p>            “Yeah, sounds great!”</p><p>            “Bye Tien!” Chiaotzu gave an enthusiastic wave as Tien headed out of camp down to the worksite. They both watched him go.</p><p>            Chiaotzu cleaned his dishes and slapped invisible dust from hs hands. From one pocket of his trousers he removed a whistle and gave it a hard tweet.</p><p>            “Listen up!” Chiaotzu shouted, “we’ve got a long morning ahead of us, and I don’t plan on hearing any complaining! You ready?”</p><p>            “Uh, I guess?” Yamcha replied, befuddled.</p><p>            Despite his childish demeanour, Chiaotzu could get mean. Yamcha spent most of the morning learning that, as he was put through the workout of his life. Chiaotzu hovered next to his head, barking orders and blowing blasts on his silver coaches whistle. After he caught his second wind, Yamcha slid into the sweet, mindless bliss of physical exertion.</p><p>            First, Chiaotzu ran him up to Tien’s meditation spot and back down for a ‘quick warmup.’ After that Chiaotzu set up a striking post by wrapping thick hemp rope around a tree trunk. Then, he spent the next hour dodging and ducking stones that Chiatzu levitated and hurled at him. Slowly, Yamcha could feel his reflexes beginning to return, and the movement felt more natural.</p><p>            <em>I’m getting the hang of this</em>, he thought to himself.</p><p>            Momentarily distracted, one of the flying stones, nearly the size of a basketball, took him in the ribs from his left hand side. He grunted and fell to the ground. Chiaotzu gasped and the flying rocks immediately dropped to the ground in a chorus of thumps.</p><p>            “Yamcha!” Chiaotzu said, his friendly demeanour returning.</p><p>            “Hrm?” Yamcha asked, cradling his ribs.</p><p>            “Are you okay? I thought you saw that one!” Chiaotzu hovered over him, worry writ plain on his face.</p><p>            Yamcha hauled himself to his feet, grimacing.</p><p>            “I’m all right.” He said, “I guess my reflexes weren’t the only thing lacking. I forgot how to take a hit.”</p><p>            Chiaotzu looked relieved.</p><p>            “You sure you’re okay?” Chiaotzu asked.</p><p>            “Yeah, no worries.” Yamcha replied, rubbing at the sore spot, “Remember training on King Kai’s planet? Piccolo hits harder than that!”</p><p>            Chiaotzu nodded vigorously and smiled. He gestured and the dozens of rocks floated into the air once more, whirling and orbiting around him.</p><p>            “Ready, Yamcha?” He asked.</p><p>            “Bring it on!” Yamcha replied.</p><p> </p><p>            The sun was going down by the time Tien returned to camp. Chiaotzu and Yamcha had cooked dinner together, after a long day of training. Chiaotzu had produced a large wok from amongst their cooking utensils, and the two of them had chopped and diced carrots, onions, celery, snow peas and broccoli. Using leftover rice from breakfast, they had added nearly a dozen eggs to the giant pan and made enough fried rice to feed the three of them for days. Chiaotzu had also brought along mirin and a jar of miso, while Yamcha had contributed a handful of little red chilies he had added to the grocery cart at the last minute. The result was a spicy, satisfying feast, and they were well into their second helpings when Tien joined then, slumping into a cross-legged position on the ground next to the fire. He heaved a long sigh and then flopped backwards, eyes shut.</p><p>            “Long day?” Yamcha asked, serving Tien a plate of fried rice and pouring him a cup of tea.</p><p>            Tien’s only response was to groan.</p><p>            “C’mon Tien,” Chiaotzu exhorted, “you’ve gotta try this! Yamcha and I did a great job.”</p><p>            Tien’s eyes fluttered open and he sniffed.</p><p>            “That does smell good.” He said, sitting back up.</p><p>            Yamcha handed him the plate with a grin.</p><p>            “Lemme guess, electricians?” Yamcha asked.</p><p>            “First the builder, asking about the floor plan, and where I want what, and then the plumber, about the septic tank and piping, then the electrician and ugh…”</p><p>            Tien let the sentence hang, sipping his tea and digging into the plate of food with uncharacteristic aplomb.</p><p>            “And this phone! All day.” Tien continued after a few mouthfuls, “call after call from the contracting company, or the delivery drivers who can’t get their trucks up here, and three, <strong>three, </strong>calls from Goku who wouldn’t believe that this wasn’t Gohan’s phone number. Not five minutes to myself. Building this school is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought.”</p><p>            Yamcha reached over and squeezed his friend’s massive shoulder.</p><p>            “Don’t worry so much.” Yamcha said, smiling, “it’s going to turn out great.”</p><p>            “I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to train today.” Tien said.</p><p>            “Chiaotzu gave me one hell of a workout, don’t worry about me.” Yamcha said.</p><p>            Tien offered him a weak grin.</p><p>            “The food’s delicious.” Tien said, “thank you.”</p><p>            “We’ll clean up, Tien.” Chiaotzu offered.</p><p>            “Yeah, you look worn out.” Yamcha chimed in.</p><p>            Tien said nothing, only smiled and nodded slightly. Yamcha released his shoulder and rose, collecting Chiaotzu’s plate and cutlery. He deposited them in the washbasin and began to scrub. Chiaotzu packed the leftovers into individual servings and set aside a lunch box for each of them for tomorrow, with a portion of rice, a handful of dried apple rings, and some steamed greens. Tien sat by the fire, chewing silently. Chiaotzu took his plate when he was finished eating and Yamcha scrubbed it clean and placed it on the drain board. He flicked off the string of lights that illuminated the tent and rejoined Tien by the fire.</p><p>            Chiaotzu heaved a yawn and curled up in his bedroll. He was snoring softly within a minute. Tien smiled.</p><p>            “You two must have had a long day.” Tien observed.</p><p>            “Yep,” Yamcha said, rubbing at some sore spots, “Chiaotzu gets <strong>mean</strong> when he’s got that whistle on.”</p><p>            Tien chuckled softly.</p><p>            “It took a long time.” Tien explained, “trying to get him to stop going easy on me in training. Now though, I think he has fun with it.”</p><p>            “Well fun isn’t exactly how I’d describe it. Still, it felt good to be training again.”</p><p>            Tien smiled and sipped his cup of tea. They shared the silence, and it stretched comfortably between them. Yamcha leaned back in his chair and admired the stars, unveiled by the mountains that hid the city’s distant lights.</p><p>            <em>Damn</em>, Yamcha thought, <em>that’s beautiful.</em></p><p>            Tien blinked slowly a few times and then finished his tea. He unrolled his blankets and settled down next to the fire.</p><p>            “I have a second cot, you know.” Yamcha offered.</p><p>            “I like it out here.” Tien said.</p><p>            He tucked his hands behind his head and joined Yamcha in staring skyward.</p><p>            Yamcha let his eyes drift down from the heavens to settle on Tien, his eyes fixed on the stars.</p><p>            <em>Yeah, me too.</em></p>
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